Jammu and Kashmir: Govt to come up with surrender policy for Kashmiri youth

Jammu and Kashmir Surrender Rehabilitation Policy : Central government is coming up with a surrender and rehabilitation policy for the youth who want to give up militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. The Union Defence Ministry is deliberating over the issue with the Home Ministry in New Delhi. The Indian Army has drafted a Rehabilitation Policy for them which has been sent to the Government.

According to the Army, some changes are expected from this policy. Lt. General BS Raju, Commander of the 15th Corps of the Army, which looked at the entire Kashmir, said that the policy draft has been sent to the government but it has not returned yet.

I constantly tell people whether there is a policy or not, but we will take whatever steps are necessary to bring people back from the path of terror. It would be good if the policy comes. This will give us more strength and we will be able to speak about it and offer them about their rehabilitation in a formal way.

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He said that there is a policy in place but it is more for those who had moved to Pakistan before 2007 and were then allowed to return. A large number of people also returned. This new policy is for those who have taken up arms inside the valley. We are working on it.

Lt Gen Raju said that it would bring some changes. The key for me is that I will be able to speak about it and will be able to propose the return in a more formal manner. It has to be approved by the Home Ministry. It is currently between the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Focus is on surrender

Lieutenant General BS Raju said that our effort is to bring back the youth on the path of terror. We have also been successful in bringing people back during the operation. Many families are now coming forward who are asking their children to go back on the wrong path. 

He said that we will work more on surrender because it is more important to bring back our people than to kill them. He told that now many times the family members come and meet us and tell that their child is meeting the wrong people. The local company commanders then approach them and try to explain. Also advises parents. Many times we have been successful in preventing them from going wrong. 

We also explain to those who have joined the terrorists, come back, Took the gun and took a photo, it does not mean that you have to die. Many people have come back, about whom we do not say much for security reasons.

Lt Gen Raju said that the Over Ground Workers (OGW) who help the terrorists are also on our radar and they have been given different messages from our side that this path will not take you anywhere. 

He said that we have been successful in keeping the number of terrorists under control in Kashmir. Currently there are around 200-210 terrorists active, which was about 260 at the beginning of this year. There is a continuous infiltration effort from Pakistan, but the army has been very successful in stopping the infiltration of terrorists.

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Militant caught alive

A Special Police Officer (SPO) turned militant managed to escape while his aide was caught alive in a search operation conducted after an encounter that broke out at Chadoora area of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district yesterday morning, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said Friday.

Addressing a press conference at police station Pantha Chowk, Srinagar, IGP Kumar said that SPO Altaf Hussain who fled from his unit on October 13 (Wednesday) along with his friend Jehangir Ahmed Bhat, fired at a security forces party at Chadoora, Budgam in the morning.

“However, security forces cordoned off the area and cornered the militants. They had emptied a full magazine of AK-47 while firing at the forces,” the IGP said.

Govt initiatives

In 2010, the state government under Omar Abdullah ordered a policy change for returning of militants who had crossed over to Pakistan but wanted to give up arms and join the mainstream. The rehabilitation policy was meant for only those militants who had crossed over between January 1, 1989, and December 31, 2009.

The Jammu and Kashmir government is now considering a new policy to encourage militants from the state to give up arms, by providing them with a monthly stipend of Rs 6,000 among other benefits.

According to the draft, the policy details the need for rehabilitation through a two-pronged approach including reformative measures and opportunities of livelihood. However, this initiative will not cover militants found to have been involved in “heinous crimes”.

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